


Magic and Exorcism

by Kyoko_Kerasaki



Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist, Winx Club
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crossover, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fantasy, Friendship, Gen, Magic, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-02
Updated: 2016-07-21
Packaged: 2018-03-20 22:21:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 12,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3667386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kyoko_Kerasaki/pseuds/Kyoko_Kerasaki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Everything that can go wrong, will go wrong...or at least that's what it seemed like at first. But after I've actually been here for a while it seems more like fate wants to make one guy's life a bit better...either that or the Ethereal Fairies have a really twisted sense of humour."</p><p>A Blue Exorcist/Winx Club crossover</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> I started this story back in March 2013, and it was originally published on FanFiction.net. It's not nearly complete yet, though ^^
> 
> This also is the first Blue Exorcist / Winx Club crossover that I'm aware of.
> 
> * * *
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't Blue Exorcist of Winx Club, Kazue Kato and Rainbow/Nickelodeon have those honours.
> 
> * * *
> 
> All speech and thoughts can be distinguished by the following formatting:  
> “Talking”  
> ‘ _Thinking_  
>  … _Flashback thingies_ …

‘ _Oh just GREAT!_ ’ she thought as she glared at the cracks on her now useless cellphone.

Here she was, goodness knows where, in the middle of a _bloody forest_ , and her only way of calling for help out of working order. She also couldn't sense any decent magical source for miles, which meant she was definitely not in the Magical Dimension anymore. She started wondering whether her day could get any worse.

“Well, I guess I can be lucky I’m still in one piece.” she gave a relieved sigh after finding no sign of injury.

“Though, I wonder where I am. There’s too little magical energy for it to be anywhere in the Magical Dimension...unless..." she shuddereded "I really hope I'm not in the Wildlands..."

"No...there is some magic around, even if it's so little…” she murmured as she made a magic spark, before moving towards the closest source of magic she could feel “…and then there’s this strange barrier around this area, not to mention these creepy bug things.” she grabbed one of them by the tail, and it began screeching. She quickly let go, feeling slightly guilty about injuring the creature.

“Ah, sorry, little guy.”

* * *

**A few hours later…**

She slumped down against a tree panting and her stomach growling.

“Dammit Amanda!” she yelled out “Honestly, how do you even blow up a _love potion_ of all things?!”  
‘ _Although, it’s not really her fault that she sucks at anything related to alchemy…_ ’ she sighed ‘ _…and it’s not like we have a choice in our first year classes or who our alchemy partners are, either…_ ’

She looked up at the sky, noting the blue slowly being consumed by a crimson tint, indicating that sunset was approaching, and also noticed that a slight sinister presence started getting stronger with each passing minute.

‘ _I have a really bad feeling about this place…_ ’ she thought, as she sensed a sudden movement a few meters away from her.

“Who’s there?” she asked carefully, yet firmly.

When she got no answer, she got up yelling: “Show yourself, _NOW_!!”

“Oh? You can sense my presence, young girl? I’m impressed.”

She spun around to find a small white Scottish terrier, wearing a pink and white polka-dot ribbon held in place by a small golden pin, siting behind her.

“Dammit, you nearly gave me a heart attack!” she yelled at the little dog, before looking it up and down.

She felt a real strange, creepy energy flowing from it, not to mention that talking animals were rare, even in the Magic Dimension. Which she was _clearly_ not in.

“But, wait, you can talk? What are you, some kind of rare fairy pet?” she asked it, making the dog choke on whatever it was about to say, before rolling with laughter.

“What’s so funny?!” she glared at the it, only to get the surprise of her life when, in a puff of pink smoke, the dog turned into purple haired, green eyed man, wearing a white clown-like outfit.

“ _I_ am a demon.” he smirked “but I’m very curious to what _you_ are.”


	2. You want me to do what?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Last time:**
> 
> _“Dammit, you nearly gave me a heart attack!” she yelled at the little dog, before looking it up and down._  
> 
> _She felt a real strange, creepy energy flowing from it, not to mention that talking animals were rare, even in the Magic Dimension. Which she was clearlynot in._  
>     
>  _“But, wait, you can talk? What are you, some kind of rare fairy pet?” she asked it, making the dog choke on whatever it was about to say, before rolling with laughter._  
> 
> _“What’s so funny?!” she glared at the it, only to get the surprise of her life when, in a puff of pink smoke, the dog turned into purple haired, green eyed man, wearing a white clown-like outfit._  
> 
> _“I am a demon.” he smirked “but I’m very curious to what you are.”_

“A…a…d-demon?!” she stammered slightly, looking the clown clad man up and down. She noted his odd coloured hair, pointy ears, fangs, and the barely hidden demonic aura around him.

“Well, I guess it makes perfect sense.” she stated.

“Care to tell me what you are, young lady?” he asked, with the creepiest grin she had ever seen.

“Like hell I’ll tell _you_ anything! And who says I even want to talk to you?!” she simply glared at him, which caused him to chuckle.

“Alright then. I’ll leave you be.” he smirked before he turned around, and changed back into a Scottish terrier, after he counted in German backwards and snapped his fingers, and trotted off.

She bit her lip, knowing that if she wanted to get back home, she would have to rely on this guy.

“Wait! Ok, I’ll tell you! Just _wait_!” she yelled as she ran after him.

* * *

“So, what exactly are you? And please don’t lie, I’ll know if you do.” he sat behind a big desk in a fancy office, hands under his chin.

“No introduction, name, _anything_ , and you expect me to answer you?” she frowned at him.

“I _did_ tell you that I’m a demon, but very well.” He sighed “My name is Mephisto Pheles, Honorary Knight for the True Cross Order, but publically known as Johann Faust V, the Principle of the True Cross Academy.”

“True Cross Order?” she quirked an eyebrow.

“An organization of exorcists.” he grinned his creepy grin, causing a chill to run down her spine.

“So you’re an exorcist? A _demon_ exorcist?” she quirked an eyebrow, before smiling “Now _that’s_ something I’ve never run across before.”

“Indeed.” he smirked, 

Mephisto snapped his fingers, making a pot of steaming tea, two cups, and treats appear. He then made the teapot pour tea for the both of them, noting that she didn’t have any surprised expressions at the little display.

“And you are?” he asked after taking a sip of his tea

“Bianca of Melody, the Realm of Music. It’s one of the planets in the Magical Dimension.” she spoke as she absentmindedly started stirring her tea.

“ _The_ Magical Dimension?” he asked with an amused spark in his eyes. “It’s been a while since I’ve heard of that place.”

“You know about it?” she asked curiously.

“Earth used to be filled with magic, but one day, a few centuries ago it just vanished. I’m still wondering what happened…” he frowned.

“According to some old history books I read, a group of wizards tried to gain ultimate power by stealing the fairies’ powers. After that people on Earth stopped believing in magic altogether."

“I see, well that explains a lot.” he took another sip of his tea. “But what brings such a lovely magical creature to Earth of all places.” he asked, smirking.

“In Alchemy class my partner _somehow_ managed to blow up a vial of love potion, how she managed that is beyond me,” she sighed, “and when I came to I was in the forest. I guess I’m stuck here for a while, since we haven’t covered any transportation magic yet. And my phone is broken too, so I can’t even call anyone to tell them where I am…” she suddenly looked at Mephisto, a hopeful look on her face “…unless you happen to have a way I can contact someone there?”

“Unfortunately not.” he replied.

“And we just started learning how to create wings from our own magic too!” she sobbed.

“Judging by the aura you give off, I’m guessing your magic is light aligned?” he asked her curiously.

“Yes, I’m a first year student at the Malacoy Paladin Academy, so I’m basically a paladin in training.”

“A paladin? Now _that_ is most unexpected.” he smirked, but as he said that, she swore she could see some strange spark of emotion, something that indicated that he was scheming something.

“Not yet, well…that is, not until I graduate, at least.” she said, desperately trying to fight the creepy feeling that was forming in the pit of her stomach.

“You did say you were stuck here for a while? I’m guessing you need a place to stay then?” he asked, and Bianca swallowed hard, knowing he was up to something.

“Yes, and let me guess, you would give me such a place, but it will cost me?” she frowned.

“More or less, but the only requirement will be for you to keep an eye on someone.” he said, holding up one finger.

“And that would be?” she asked.

“A young boy named Rin Okumura.” he said, with a grin.


	3. First day on the job

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Last time:**   
>  _“You did say you were stuck here for a while? I’m guessing you need a place to stay then?” Mephisto asked, and Bianca swallowed hard, knowing he was up to something._
> 
> _“Yes, and let me guess, you would give me such a place, but it will cost me?” she frowned._
> 
> _“More or less, but the only requirement will be for you to keep an eye on someone.” he said, holding up one finger._
> 
> _“And that would be?” she asked._
> 
> _“A young boy named Rin Okumura.” he said, with a grin._

‘ _Three weeks…I’ve been here for three weeks already…_ ’

Bianca walked down the hall, following one of the young teachers. She fumbled with the ribbon around her neck as she thought about her last conversation with the principle…

…… _“Congratulations on passing all the tests, you are now an Ex-wire.” Mephisto said with his usual creepy grin.  
He put his hand into his pocket and pulled out a golden key, and handed it to her.  
“This key, no matter which door you use, will take you to the cram school where your exorcist classes are held, which begin at 15:30. Here is you exorcism timetable."_ ……

Deep in thought, she almost failed to notice when the teacher stopped at one of the doors. She swallowed hard before entering the class after the teacher, causing the all the students to immediately start whispering among one another.

“ _Do you think her hair is natural?_ ” a voice came from a group of girls.  
“ _Maybe._ ” Another voice whispered. " _Blonde hair isn't that rare in foreign countries._ "  
“ _I wonder where she’s from._ ” someone, this time a boy asked.  
“ _Maybe from America?_ ” one answered. “ _Like Beverly Hills or Hollywood!_ ”  
“ _There you go again..._ ” someone sighed " _Not all blonde girls are from there..._ ”  
“ _She actually looks like she's from Europe rather than America._ ” another pointed out.  


“Settle down!” the teacher said sternly, and the class grew quiet. “Now, to your seats.”

As soon as all the students quickly took their places, the teacher spoke.

“As you can see we have a new student.” he spoke “She just transferred here from Italy, so please treat her well.”

“I’m Bianca o-…uh Valerio.” she gulped “Bianca Valerio. It’s nice to meet you all.”

“You can take the open seat behind Takahashi-san.” The teacher smiled at her as she took her seat.

For some sort of reason, every girl in the class now seemed to glare daggers at her.

“Now open to page 14…ah, Okumura-san, would you please share your textbook with Valerio-san for this lesson.”

‘ _Okumura?_ ’ she looked at the boy next to her, and gave a smile as he pushed his textbook closer to her, after fixing his glasses ‘ _This is the guy I’m suppose to be babysitting? Weird, I don’t sense anything odd about him…_ ’

About twenty minutes into the lesson the door opened, and a dark haired boy who seemed to have just rolled out of bed stepped in panting. She heard the boy next to her sigh irritably.

“Okumura-kun...I’m glad you decided to finally join us.” the teacher said monotonously, making the boy blush a deep shade of red.

‘ _Wait…he’s Okumura as well?_ ’ she frowned as she looked from the boy in front of the class to the one sitting next to her ' _They do look a bit alike..._ '

“He’s my older twin brother.” the boy next to her whispered after he noticed her confusion.

“Oh…I see.” She whispered back, smiling.

As she looked at the older Okumura twin a bit closed, she noticed that he had the same demonic features as Mephisto had, and as he walked past her to his seat, she felt a spark of what she instantly recognized as dark energy.

‘ _Wait as second…the younger brother doesn’t seem to have any demonic qualities?_ ’ she thought ' _That's...odd._ '

“Is something wrong, Valerio-san?” the teacher asked.

“Uh…no, everything is fine.” She reassured the teacher, who then proceeded to continue the lesson.

She was now aware of eyes drilling into her, but decided not to temp fate to find out who it was.

* * *

**Yukio’s POV**

This girl somehow had my hair stand on end. It’s as if she knew about Rin’s true identity. Just then the quick conversation he had with the principle that morning ran through his head.

…… _“Oh and you will be receiving a new student.” Mephisto said, seeming even more mischievous than he normally does "She’s a young girl from Italy"_ ……

I’ll definitely need to keep an eye on her, it seems…


	4. The demon prince is a gentleman?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Last Time:**
> 
> _Yukio’s POV _
> 
> _This girl somehow had my hair stand on end. It’s as if she knew about Rin’s true identity. Just then the quick conversation he had with the principle that morning ran through his head._
> 
> ……“Oh and you will be receiving a new student.” Mephisto said, seeming even more mischievous than he normally does "She’s a young girl from Italy"……
> 
> _I’ll definitely need to keep an eye on her, it seems…_

Bianca sighed when the bell rang for recess, some of the classes were quite different to what she was used to, yet some were the same, just with different names.

She was quite happy to hear that she could choose her subject, and could take music, acting and dance classes, along with different languages, and decided that she’s definitely not taking any chemistry, just to play it safe. 

' _If I remember correctly…that’s their equivalent of alchemy._ ' She shuddered, remembering how her last alchemy class went. 

She took a look at her timetable and noted that she P.E. had after recess. She got up, and made her way to the cafeteria for something to eat, only to find that she could barely afford anything. 

' _What the heck?!_ ' she scowled ‘ _Damn you, you stingy demon…_ ’ 

“You’re the new girl, right?” a voice asked behind her.

Turning around she found that it was the eldest of the Okumura twins. 

“Okumura-kun?” she asked. 

“Yeah,” he nodded “but please call me Rin…that way I’ll know if you’re referring to me or Yukio.” He held out his hand. 

' _I suppose I could..._ ’ she thought ' _Since I need to keep an eye on him, it'll probably be better to be close to him._ ’ 

“Sure, and you can call me Bianca.” She smiled, and shook his hand, flinching slightly at his strong demonic aura. He also seemed to have a moment of discomfort.

“You okay?” he asked, seeming concerned, looking at his hand, and then at hers. 

“Uh…yeah.” she said nervously. “I've...uh...always been prone to static.” 

' _His demonic energy is stronger than I thought..._ ’ 

“Ah…I see.” He seemed to sigh with relief. “So, what are you having?” he asked suddenly. 

“Huh? My guardian is a bit of a stingy bastard…” she sighed. “I can’t even afford a simple lunch…” 

“Mine too…” he laughed “So I generally make my own.”

' _Heh...so Mephisto's even a bastard to his own kind?_ ’ she nearly snorted ' _Poor guy even needs to fend for himself._ ' 

“You cook?” she asked curiously.

“Yup. You can share lunch with me, if you want.” He said lifting a small bag into view. 

“Ah, no. I don’t want to impose.” She said quickly ' _Besides, who knows what kind of things a demon uses as ingredients?_ ' 

“Don’t worry about it.” He said and dragged her to an empty table. “I usually make a bit extra.”

' _Nooo..._ ' she thought in fear ' _I don't care about starving! I don't want demon food!_ ' 

Once seated, he pulled a lunchbox and chopsticks from the bag, and handed her a set of chopsticks. 

“Itadakimasu!” **(1)** he chimed, before he started eating.

She was quite surprised to find that the food looked quite appetizing, and carefully took a bite of what she believed to be tamagoyaki **(2)**.

“Wow…this is amazing.” she murmured in awe, before taking another piece the tamagoyaki, which seemed to be filled with a slightly spicy spinach sauce “I never would have taken you for a master chef. You seem more like the guy who is way too into sports to care about anything else.”

“Ah, thanks…” he blushed. “I suppose it’s kinda true…I used to be like that, always getting into trouble, being a bit of a ‘wild child’. My old man told me that getting a hobby would be a good outlet, so I decided to try cooking, and I turned out to be very good at it. He also taught me how to play guitar....” He said with a sad smile. “Wish he was here now…”

She felt a twinge of hopeless when she saw the look of sadness in his eyes. ' _No!_ ' she thought to herself ' _Don't get too close just yet!_ '

"Oh...uh he died in an accident a about a month ago." he explained sadly "He was a priest that took care of me and Yukio after our mom died."

' _Wait...Mephisto mentioned that priest._ ' she realised ' _Shirō Fujimoto, the previous Paladin..._ '

“Ah…sorry…” he mumbled when he noticed her looking at him. “So, where were you from again?”

“Italy.” she said, trying not to cringe. For some sort of reason, she hated having to lie to him about her heritage. ‘ _Weird…but, seriously, would he even believe the truth?_ ’

“Cool!” he smiled “So what kind of hobbies do you have?” 

“I like playing music and singing, reading and writing, and I’m quite good in learning different languages.” 

“Oh, what kind of instruments do you play?” he asked, seeming excited.

“Well…uh…anything and everything that one can play music on, I suppose…” she shrugged, making Rin’s his jaw nearly hit the floor.

“I’m…uh….” ‘ _from the planet of music? No, I can’t tell him that..._ ’ she sighed “well, my family is a bit crazy when it comes to music, so I took about a billion courses when I was little.”

“Wow…I can only play the guitar…and a bit of piano.” He blushed.

“That doesn't sound so bad.” she reassured him "And if you really want to, I can give you some simple music lessons."

"Really?" he grinned "Thank you!"

"No problem." she grinned ' _At least my job will be easier now..._ ' 

"And what kind of languages do you speak?"

"Uhm,let's see..." she started "Italian, Mandarin, English, Latin, Japanese...and small amounts of French, Russian and German."

He just stared at her for a bit, looking a bit depressed.

"And here I'm failing even Japanese" he sighed "I'm not even going into my English..."

"I can tutor you if you want." she offered and started questioning her fate ' _Is the Ethereal Fairies just joking with me now, or something?_ '

"You already offered music lessons."

“Then how about a payment?” she suggested "Let's say your cooking for the lessons? Or maybe some cooking lessons?"

"Hmmm...that sounds reasonable" he agreed, smiling "You've got a deal."

They finished eating the rest of the lunch in silence. Bianca was deep in thought about Rin. ' _He doesn't seem like a demon._ ' she noted ' _Actually his actions seem strangely sincere, oddly enough._ '  
She was dragged out of her thoughts when she noticed he was staring at her.

"Uh, yeah?" she questioned.

“Hey, what subjects do you take?” he asked all of a sudden.

“Uh...Performing Arts.” She answered “Music, dance and theater, and my language classes are Japanese and English. I opted for lower grade maths. And you?”

“Home Economics, Food science, and Music, just to play it safe…” he replied “The rest is the same as you.”

They chatted for a while longer, only interrupted when the bell rang.

“I guess I’ll see you later, Bianca-chan.” Rin waved. “I’ll need to hurry. Mizuki-sensei will behead me if I’m late for P.E. again” he shuddered

“You have P.E. now?” she asked, and he nodded

“Looks like we are in the same class, then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) Itadakimasu (いただきます) – Literally “I humbly receive”.  
> This is similar to saying Grace to give thanks for the food. It is also said to express gratitude for all who played a role in preparing, cultivating, reaping, ranching, slaughtering or hunting the food. This also acknowledges that living organisms have given their life to human beings as food.
> 
> (2) Tamagoyaki (卵焼き)– Japanese Omelettes.  
> Instead of folded, like Western omelettes, these are rolled up like wraps. They can be filled or be left plain.


	5. I met a chicken guy today!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Last Time:**
> 
> _They chatted for a while longer, only interrupted when the bell rang._
> 
> _“I guess I’ll see you later, Bianca-chan.” Rin waved. “I’ll need to hurry. Mizuki-sensei will behead me if I’m late for P.E. again” he shuddered_
> 
> _“You have P.E. now?” she asked, and he nodded_
> 
> _“Looks like we are in the same class, then.”_

They were playing a game called everyone seemed to be referring to as ‘Dodge Ball’. 

‘ _Kind of similar to that crazy ‘energy bullet’ training thing we get at Malacoy._ ’ Bianca thought. ‘ _Too bad I can’t use magic here…I should start working out more_ ’ she sighed as she sat on the side watching the last survivors battling it out. 

One more kid got hit, and now it was down to only Rin and a delinquent looking boy, with multiple piercings and a golden blonde streak in his dark blonde hair. The boy seemed to have an entire fanclub consisting of mostly girls following him, but it looked as it irritated the hell out of him. He also seemed to despise Rin, getting angry when he called him ‘Bon’. 

“I told you NOT to call me that, Okumura! It’s Suguro, got that?!” he yelled as he threw the ball at Rin, who dodging it with ease.

“You don’t seem to mind Shima and Konekomaru calling you Bon.” Rin threw a ball back.

“Because they’re my friends! I don’t recall you being my friend.” He yelled as he dodged the ball, and Bianca noticed Rin’s back stiffen.

' _He really doesn't have any friends, does he..._ ' she realised, and felt a bit of anger towards this Suguro kid.

“Well, sorry for trying to be friendly.” Rin glared at him, and looked pretty close to punching Suguro in the face, when the teacher announced that it was to get to the showers before the bell rang. Bianca stopped and looked back at Rin. 

“Rin!” she called, heading his way, and he looked at her. “Are you ok?” 

“Yeah…just peachy.” He grumbled. 

“Don’t lie.” She cocked an eyebrow, causing him to look at the floor. 

“It’s just, no one seems to like me very much…” he sighed. 

“You don't have any friends?” she murmured.

“I do have friends!” he countered "Well, one friend." 

“Hey, I don't mean it like _that_.” she exclaimed "I mean that I'll be more than happy to be friends with you, if you'd like." 

“I'd like that.” he said, smiling brightly. 

“So, this your new girlfriend, Okumura?” she heard Suguro behind her. 

“Mind your own damn business.” She glared at him. “Come on Rin, we’re gonna be late.” 

“Oi, running away?” Suguro smirked. 

“Piss off, chicken head.” Bianca shot at him, causing Rin to snicker. 

“What did you call me?!” Suguro gritted his teeth, and glared at Rin, who was trying to get his laughter under control. “Shut up, Okumura! This is not funny.” 

“Yeah, you’re right, it’s not funny. It’s absolutely hilarious.” Bianca smirked as she left the gym. 

* * *

The last bell rang, and she packed her English books into her bag, before leaving the class. 

‘ _And I had to have a lesson, sitting next to the chicken guy_ ’ she sighed, as she walked down the hall. ‘ _Though...he seems oddly mature. He didn't even make a scene._ ’ 

“Oi, Valerio-san!” she heard him behind her. ‘ _And maybe I spoke too soon…_ ’ 

“Yes, Suguro-san?” she asked, forcing a surprisingly believing smile. 

“Why are you hanging out with that guy?” he asked with a disgusted tone. 

“Why not?” she asked “What do you have against Rin, anyway?” 

“He’s a lazy, spoiled brat.” Suguro huffed “And never takes _anything_ seriously.” 

“Oh, _really?_ ” she asked sarcastically “I doubt a guy who gives half his lunch to the new girl is a spoilt brat.” She turned around and kept walking. 

“Oi, where are you going?” he asked. 

“Unlike you, I have places to be.” She stated, looking over her shoulders. “See you some other time.” 

* * *

**Ryugi’s POV:**

As I watched her walk down the hall, I couldn’t help but notice how all the coal tar, seemed to flee away from her. 

' _Weird._ ’ I thought ‘ _It’s probably just my imagination…_ ’ 

Well, that’s what I thought, until I noticed how one that bumped into her started writhing and screeching, acting as if it had been soaked in holy water. 

' _No way…_ ’ 


	6. I made a friends with a zashiki-warashi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Last Time:**   
>  Ryugi’s POV:   
>  _As I watched her walk down the hall, I couldn’t help but notice how all the coal tar, seemed to flee away from her._   
>  _'Weird.’ I thought ‘It’s probably just my imagination…’_   
>  _Well, that’s what I thought, until I noticed how one that bumped into her started writhing and screeching, acting as if it had been soaked in holy water._   
>  _'No way…’_

Rounding the corner, she sighed in relief as she found the corridor empty. 

_'Finally…'_

She pulled out the golden key Mephisto had given her, and unlocking the nearest door, she smiled when she heard a deep click. Opening the door, she was in awe as she gazed at the bright interior design of the hallway. 

_'Cool'_ she smiled _'Kinda reminds me of a colourful version of Malacoy'_

She made extra sure to close the door behind her properly, before pulling out her exorcist timetable. _‘Ok…lets see…’_ she scanned the piece of paper _‘Room 1106…wait, how big is this place?’_

"Uh, hi." She heard a soft voice behind her. 

Turning, she found a fragile looking blonde girl in a pink kimono. A small green plant-like creature sat perched on her head. 

“Uh…g-good day” the girl stammered slightly before bowing a bit, while the little creature jumped up in the air and gave a small wave. 

"Oh, hi there." Bianca smiled "I’m Bianca Valerio." 

"I’m Shiemi Moriyama." She smiled, blushing a bit “A…and this is Ni-chan…he’s a green man spirit.” She pointed to the little green guy. 

"Pleased to meet you Moriyama-san.” she looked at her timetable again “Uh…you don’t happen to know where the Ex-wires are supposed to be now?” Bianca asked. 

“You’re an Ex-wire, too?” Shiemi asked beaming. 

“Yes, I just transferred here.” Bianca answered. 

“I also started not too long ago” Shiemi smiled. “Follow me.” 

They started walking down the hall, and Bianca laughed at Ni-chan’s silly antics. 

“You’re studying to be a tamer?” Bianca asked, and the girl nodded. 

“Yes, and also as a doctor.” Sheimi answered “And you?” 

“Aria, and dragoon.” Bianca smiled "But I make use of archery instead of firearms." 

“Aria, and dragoon?” Shiemi murmured “That’s the same as Suguro-kun.” 

“Suguro?” Bianca asked wide eyed “The guy with the blonde streak in his hair?” 

“Yes, that’s him” Shiemi smiled “Wait, you know him?” 

“Uh...yeah…we had a bit of a... _disagreement_ earlier.” She sighed. 

“Oh” Shiemi blinked. “Here it is.” she said as she stopped in front of a door. 

Shiemi entered, and Bianca stopped for a second, taking a big breath and letting it out before following. 

“You?!” she tried not to laugh at Suguro’s reaction, and decided to simply give him sweet smile. “You’re taking exorcist classes?” 

“I did say that I had places to be.” She replied. 

Just then the door opened, revealing a girl with purple hair. 

“Ah, Kamiki-san!” Shiemi waved at the newcomer, who just sighed, but seemed interested to see a new face. 

Suddenly her hands were grabbed by a pink haired boy. 

“Who is this lovely angel?” he asked causing Bianca and the kid with glasses next to Suguro to sweat drop, while Suguro seemed like he wanted to punch the guy, and the purple haired girl glared at him. 

“Shima-kun…” the kid with glasses sighed 

“Shima…” Suguro growled. “You are a monk, for goodness sake.” 

“Uh…hi.” Bianca said awkwardly “Who are you?” 

“I’m Renzo Shima.” The pinkhead beamed, “And you must be an angel” 

“Uh…could you let go?” Bianca felt her eyebrow twitch. 

“So cold…” Shima shuddered 

“Well, what do you expect?” Kamiki asked, smirking. 

"Ah, don’t be so mean, Izumo-chan." Shima complained, and gave her the puppy eye look. 

"When the hell did I give you permission to call me Izumo?! It’s Kamiki.” She glared at him moving to the back of the class. 

The door opened once more, and the younger Okumura twin stepped inside. 

“Huh? Okumura-san?” 

“Ah, I thought it was going to be you. The principle said that the new student is from Italy.” He observed as he made his way to the teachers desk. 

"Valerio-san, can I talk to you quickly?" he asked "I want to make sure about a few things before we start classes."

“Wait…you’re the teacher?” she asked, and he nodded. 

"I just want to make sure everything on here is correct." He handed her a slip of paper with all her student details "And ask you how far you are in your Anti-Demon Pharmacology lessons." 

"Up to chapter 7" she answered as she checked the info on the page and handed it back to Yukio. 

"Seems you're one chapter ahead then." Yukio noted "We're writing a test on chapter 5 today. Think you're ready for it, or do you want a day to study first?" 

"Chapter 5..." she tried to recall the information "Yeah, I think I'll manage." 

"Alright." 

"Rin sure is late..." Shiemi sighed "Yuki-chan's gonna get mad at him again." 

"He's late... _again._ " she heard Yukio grumble. 

The class was deadly silent for a few minutes. It was painfully clear that Yukio was stalling for the sake of Rin. His aura became darker and darker each passing second. 

_'I suppose he does have some demon blood in him, after all'_ she noted. 

Yukio sighed, and picked up a pile of papers from his desk.

She starting to feel slightly nervous when Yukio handed the papers out, which increased when she received her sheet. _'Maybe I should've taken it tomorrow...'_ she thought as Yukio started the timer. However, her nervousness dissipated when she read through the paper and managed to recall most of the work. 

A few minutes into the test, the door squeaked open. 

"Okumura-kun." Yukio glared at him "You are aware that this is a test, which you are dreadfully late for?" 

"S-sorry." he grumbled as he received his sheet from Yukio. 

He hurried to the seat next to Shiemi, before halting his actions. 

"Bianca-chan?" he asked. 

Bianca put her finger on her lips, indicating that he should be quiet. "We can talk later." she whispered 

"Right..." Rin whispered back 

* * *

**Meanwhile, very far away…**

A young girl with wavy brown hair and piercing green eyes was sitting on a cushioned windowsill, staring at out of the window. The sun was setting, painting the world in hues of red and gold, but she didn’t seem to notice, just staring out into nothingness. 

There was a knock on the door, but she didn’t move. The knock repeated, and after a moments, door was opened slightly. 

“Amanda? Are you all right in there?” a soft whisper was heard “Hey, Amanda?” 

Amanda looked up, and saw a girl with silvery eyes and long platinum blonde hair. 

“Clara? I’m fine…” Amanda sighed “I’m just worried…what if she got hurt…what if..” tears started forming in her eyes. “It’s all my fault…” 

“It’s not your fault.” Clara scowled 

“It is…I blew up that vial.” 

“And? You always blow things up in class.” Clara said dryly, causing Amanda to glare at her “I know this sounds harsh, but the fact is, we all know you suck at alchemy no matter much you practice, and it’s not like you did it on purpose.” 

Clara sat down next to Amanda and watched the last of the setting sun. 

“No one is blaming you, because we all know that it’s not you fault, so stop blaming yourself, ok?” she said softly as she gave Amanda a comforting hug. 

“I hope she’s ok, though…” Amanda sniffed as she turned her head to watch the last rays of the sun disappear. 

“I’m sure she’s fine.” Clara smiled and gave Amanda a cream coloured silk handkerchief. 

“How can you be so sure?” Amanda asked, as she wiped her tears away. 

“I’m not sure. I just…” Clara sighed. “I just know.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title refers to Shiemi, who has been compared to a zashiki-warashi, due to her appearance and shy nature.  
>   
> Zashiki-warashi (座敷童/座敷童子):  
> A yōkai, with a childlike nature. The appearance of this spirit is that of a 5 or 6 year child with bobbed hair and a red face. It is said that once a zashiki warashi inhabits a house, it brings the residence great fortune; on the other hand, should a zashiki warashi depart, the domain soon falls into a steep decline.  
> They’re known playing harmless pranks and occasionally causing mischief. Sometimes they leave little footsteps in ashes.


	7. Boredome strikes…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Last time:**   
>  _"Okumura-kun." Yukio glared at Rin "You are aware that this is a test, which you are dreadfully late for?"_
> 
> _"S-sorry." he grumbled as he received his sheet from Yukio._
> 
> _He hurried to the seat next to Shiemi, before halting his actions._
> 
> _"Bianca-chan?" he asked._  
> 
> _Bianca put her finger on her lips, indicating that he should be quiet. "We can talk later." she whispered_
> 
> _"Right..." Rin whispered back_
> 
> * * *
> 
> Meanwhile Elsewhere: 
> 
> _“I’m sure she’s fine.” Clara smiled and gave Amanda a cream coloured silk handkerchief._  
>     
>  _“How can you be so sure?” Amanda asked, as she wiped her tears away._  
> 
> _“I’m not sure. I just…” Clara sighed. “I just know.”_

“So, how was your first day?” Mespisto asked with his usual creepy grin.

“I nearly starved, due to your stinginess…” Bianca glared at him “What use is an allowance, if I can’t make a living from it? You can thank your lucky stars that Rin was generous with his lunch.” She huffed.

“And other than the fact that I’m now the babysitter of Satan’s kid, I seemed to have pissed of half the girls in the school by getting placed next to two of the most popular guys in the grade in each of my language classes, and a perverted boy with pink hair, _who is supposed to be a monk_ , tried to court me. I did manage to make a friend or two though, so I guess the day wasn’t too bad.”

“Good.” Mephisto beamed. “Now…for your rooming. While I would have preferred to have closer to the one you’re watching, I don’t think it’s such a good idea to put a girl in a boy’s dorm. The room you’ll be placed in is vacant at the moment, since I believe you’ll need a quiet place to do your daily magical training. I need you in tip-top condition for your task. How do you find your charge, by the way?”

“He’s pretty unique,” Bianca mused, “it’s the first time I’ve met a demon such an honest and straightforward nature.”

“Yes, he’s quite something else.” Mephisto said with a strange look in his eyes. Bianca couldn’t quite place it, but it appeared to be somewhere between amusement and anticipation, but with a slight hint of worry. She didn’t have time to make sure, as his usual look of mischief returned.

“So, you mentioned that you made friends?” he asked.

“Yeah, other than Rin I met a sweet little girl in my exorcist class named Shiemi Moriyama,” she nodded “though she has an unusual sense of determination within her.”

“Her mother runs the exorcist shop, and she was too frail and shy to attend school when she was little, but it would seem that young Rin has encouraged her. She joined the cram school not to long ago, and is studying hard for the high school entrance exams.”

“I see.” She smiled

* * *

**Meanwhile at the Malacoy Academy Fortunetelling Club:**

“Anything?” Amanda asked the girl with big round glasses ( _think Harry Potter style_ ) and thick, bushy curly brown hair. “Please, tell m-“

“Amanda.” the girl sighed heavily “Just. Shut. Up. I need to focus here.”

“Sorry, Erica.” Amanda stammered slightly.

“It’s okay. I know you’re worried, but you’ll need to calm down if you want to find her.”

“Yes, I know…” Amanda sighed “Can you tell me anything, though?”

“I think so. Do you have anything that belongs to her?”

“Yes.” Amanda answered, and started rummaging through her bag a bit, and finding a silver bracelet which she handed Erica “She took this off in Alchemy, since it’s an heirloom, so I decided to keep it safe till we find her.”

“Excellent.” Erica smiled as she examined the piece “There is a lot of her consciousness in this. This will work perfectly.”

* * *

**True Cross Girls Dormitory:**

“Finally done…” Bianca gave a relived sigh as she put her pen down on her stack of homework. “Seriously, how much work do they give out in non-magical schools anyway?”

She put her homework away, flopped down on her bed, and sighed again when she realised she had absolutly nothing to do.

‘I don’t even have any instruments to play, and there’s no way I could afford one with the allowance that stingy demon gives me at the moment. Might as well get to bed ear-’

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door, and she quickly went to answer it, finding a girl with long brown hair and green eyes, and a shy little girl black hair in pigtails and a pair of glasses over her dark grey eyes.

“Oh, hey.” the girl in front of her waved. “You’re the transfer student from Italy, right?”

“Yeah.” Bianca nodded slowly. “I'm Bianca Valerio”

“I’m Yuuka Akiyama and this is Shizuka Yoshida” the girl pointed to herself and the girl behind her respectively “we’re in the room next door.” 

“Oh, pleased to meet you.” Bianca smiled.

“H-here” Shizuka handed over a medium sized box “A w-welcoming present.” 

“Thanks.” Bianca smiled as she took the box. 

“You guys want to come in?” Bianca asked “Although it’s still pretty messy.” 

“That’s okay, we all have that first day of chaos when we move in.” Yuuka chuckled as she and Shizuka stepped inside. “So how was your first day?” 

“Pretty cool, although I seemed to have angered the population of fangirls in my grade.” 

“That’s not good.” Yuuka winced as she and Shizuka sat down “How’d you manage that?” 

“I was placed next to a guy named Yukio Okumara in Japanese, and Ryūji Suguro in English.” 

“Ouch." Yuuka winced. "Well, you’re more than welcome to hang out with us if you want to avoid the mobs.” she winked, “That’s if you don’t mind spending your breaks in the library with two total nerds.” 

"Hey, nerds are awesome." Bianca giggled “Besides I love books, especially ones about music and ancient languages.”

“Music, huh? Do you play any instruments?” Yuuka asked. 

“Yeah, it’s my greatest passion, so I learned as much as I can.” Bianca beamed. "How about you guys?"

"Unfortunately I can't sing or play to save my life." she sighed “But you should hear Shizuka. If I hadn’t known better, I could swear she’s an angel.” 

“I’m n-not that g-great.” Shizuka blushed bright crimson. 

“Of course you are!” Yuuka countered “Your voice is amazing!” 

“I’d love to hear you sometime” Bianca smiled, making Shizuka blush even brighter. 

“Why don't you sing something?” Yuuka suggested, making Shizuka almost squeak . “A come on, pretty please?” she pleaded "Just one song?"

“Hey don't bully her.” Bianca frowned at Yuuka

“N-no...I su-suppose I could do o-one.” Shizuka smiled shyly, taking a deep breath before beginning to sing: 

_Yoru no sora ni matataku_  
_Tooi kin no hoshi_  
_Yuube yume de miageta_  
_Kotori to onaji iro_

_Nemurenu yoru ni_  
_Hitori utau uta_  
_Wataru kaze to issho ni_  
_Omoi wo nosete tobu yo_

The room was dead quiet for a few seconds before Bianca and Yuuka both applauded with great fervour. 

“That was amazing, Yoshido-san.” Bianca beamed. 

“T-thank you” Shizuka blushed again. 

* * *

**Malacoy Academy Fortunetelling Club:**

“Got it” Erica said so suddenly, Amanda nearly fell of her chair. 

“And?” Amanda asked cautiously 

“She has been transported to a place nearly devoid of magic, with no means of communication.” 

“Earth?” Amanda asked, slightly more hopeful. 

“It seems very likely.” Erica smiled, before frowning “And it would seem that she had encountered a demon.” 

“A demon?!” 

“Though, she doesn’t seem to be in any danger. It would seem that this particular demon is protecting her.” 

“It sounds suspicious, demons don’t protect people without reason, especially not beings of light.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yuuka (優花) = "Gentleness/Superiority" and "Flower"  
> Akiyama (秋山) = "Autumn" and "Mountain/Hill" 
> 
> Shizuka (静夏) = "Quiet" and "Summer"  
> Yoshida (芳田) = "Fragrant rice field"
> 
> * * *
> 
> The song is Yoru no Uta from CardCaptor Sakura. I also don’t own, I borrowed it since it’s one of my favourite Japanese songs ever ^_^ 
> 
> **Translation:**
> 
> _Song of the Night_
> 
> _In the night sky, they twinkle_  
>  _The far stars of gold_  
>  _The same colour as the small bird_  
>  _that looked up in my dream last night_  
>   
>  _In the sleepless night,_  
>  _I sing this song alone_  
>  _Together with the blowing wind,_  
>  _I fly riding on my thoughts_  
>   
>  I uploaded a version of myself singing this song on Youtube ( _though my camera sucks, so the quality isn’t all too wonderful_ ). It can be found [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlS9vb4ZaVg)


	8. Why not to let Rin play a lyre in class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Last Time:**   
>  _“She has been transported to a place nearly devoid of magic, with no means of communication.”_
> 
> _“Earth?” Amanda asked, slightly more hopeful._
> 
> _“It seems very likely.” Erica smiled, before frowning “And it would seem that she had encountered a demon.”_
> 
> _“A demon?!”_
> 
> _“Though, she doesn’t seem to be in any danger. It would seem that this particular demon is protecting her.”_
> 
> _“It sounds suspicious, demons don’t protect people without reason, especially not beings of light.”_

Bianca almost sighed with relief when the bell for lunchtime rang. It had been quite intimidating to sit next to the younger Okumura twin. She didn’t know what it was, but she felt an unusual tension concerning him. She packed her books as quickly as possible, hoping to escape his creepy aura as soon as possible. 

“Valerio-san?” a voice interrupted her thoughts. 

“Ah, Okumura-otōto **(1)**.” She managed to force a somewhat convincing smile. 

Yukio’s gaze looked as if he was staring straight into her soul. 

“Uh…is something wrong?” she asked nervously. 

“Stay away from Rin.” he nearly growled “I don’t know what your game is, but I warn you. Hurt my brother and I swear I’ll kill you.” 

“Why would I do that?” she deadpanned “I mean, where else am I gonna get lunch?” 

“So it’s for you.” he looked stunned “I was wondering why he suddenly started making three lunchboxes.” 

“And I don’t want Kuro to eat me.” she shuddered “Rin told me how he went berserk before.” 

“Good.” 

“Good! So you can stop worrying so much!” she grinned “You’ll get wrinkles!” 

She scooped up her bag and walked out of the classroom. Yukio still couldn’t shake the feeling that she was hiding something. 

* * *

“Hey, Bianca!” Rin called at her as she walked down the stairs. 

“Rin.” She greeted when he reached her. 

“Here.” He smiled and handed her a parcel wrapped in a cloth “I made extra octopus wieners today.” 

“OHMYGOSH Rin!” she squealed as she glomped him “I freakin love you!” 

“Ah…” he blushed slightly when he noticed that some of the girls were giving them weird looks. 

* * *

“There’s something weird going on with her.” Ryūji frowned as he watched the two. 

“No way, Bon.” Renzō chuckled “She looks pretty normal, even if she hangs out with _him_ of all people.” 

“I’m telling you, there’s something really odd about her.” 

“Did…something happen?” Konekomaru asked, slightly tense. 

“Sort of... I think...” 

“What happened?”” Konekomaru asked 

“The coal tar don’t go near he-” Ryūji began. 

“Uh…the coal tar don’t normally go near super cheerful people like her…” Renzō pointed out. 

“Don’t interrupt me” Ryūji glared at the pink head. 

“Ah…s-sorry…” Renzō smiled nervously. 

“The day she transferred, I swear that I saw a coal tar that touched her go berserk…like they do when they touch holy water.” 

“No…way…” Renzō blinked “Uh…maybe she bathes in holy water or something. I’ve heard of people who do that.” 

“But the effects go away when the holy water dries.” Konekomaru said as he frowned “You’re right, Bon, that _is_ very odd.” 

* * *

“Awe man…” Bianca pouted as the bell rang. 

“Back to hell.” Rin sighed “Damn…and I have maths now…” 

“Ouch.” Bianca winced “Well, at least we have double music afterwards.” 

“Oh yeah, that’s right.” he smiled “That will make the maths somewhat bearable.” 

* * *

Bianca let out a small sigh as the bell rang, signaling the end of the theory part of the double music period. She closed her theory book, excited since their teacher, Ayako Minami, a petite lady with long wavy black hair and onyx eyes always allowed them perform small pieces of their own choice during the second half of the double period. She believed it helped boost their confidence and aided them to discover their own personal style in music by having them perform their own music for their fellow students. Something Bianca thought was pretty neat **(2)**. 

“Ok, please remember to do page 18-20 for homework.” the teacher, spoke with a smile “Ok, now let’s get the instruments ready. You have 5 minutes to warm up.” 

Ms Minami moved to the back of the class, drawing the curtains separating the theory room from the practical room. The students packed away their theory books, and took out their music sheets, and those who had their own, took out their instruments. 

“Oh, a lyre?” Bianca stopped as she and Rin entered the back. 

“Lyre?” 

“That.” Bianca pointed to the small harp like instrument with ten strings “It’s really ancient, and referred in the Bible numerous times and sometimes in mythology too. The number of strings varied at different epochs, and in different localities.” 

“Oh.” he nodded slowly, before picking it up. “It looks pretty neat. 

He strummed a few strings. After fumbling for a few minutes, he managed to figure out how to play a few songs. 

“Hmmm...you're pretty good for a first try.” Bianca noted “Took me ages to figure the bloody thing out.” 

“Could teach me?” he asked brightly “Please?” 

“Rin, are you making a puppy face at me?” she laughed “Ah, how can I refuse such cuteness?” 

“Thanks!” 

“Oukumura-kun!” Ms Minami smiled brightly as she walked over to him “I didn’t know you knew how to play the lyre!” 

“Ah…well, just a bit.” 

Rin continued to play, making less and less mistakes as the minutes went by. She felt herself relax…almost too much. She became aware of the feeling that something was wrong. Looking at Rin, she noticed that he was completely zoned out, but still playing. 

“Rin?” she asked getting no response from him. “Hey, Rin!” 

Waving her hand in front of his face also proved futile. 

“Sensei? Rin is acti-” she then noticed that Ms Minami and a few students were in the same zoned out state. 

_'Hypnosis through music?!'_ she thought in shock. 

“Hey, snap out of it!” she tried to take the lyre from him, but he didn’t budge _‘Stupid demon strength.’_

She sighed as she realised what she needed to do. 

“I’m really, _really_ sorry bout this, Rin.” she apologised as she sent a small wave of light magic into him. He immediately doubled over, looking extremely pale. The rest of the class all snapped out of their stupor, and seemed to not even notice that they were hypnotised at all. 

“Okumura-kun?” Ms Minami asked, her voice full of concern. 

“Are you ok?” Bianca asked, and mentally added another _‘I’m sorry…’_

“Yeah…I just feel a bit…” he shuddered, not bothering to finish the sentence. 

“Valerio-san, will you please escort Okumura-san to the nurse’s office?” Ms Minami asked 

“Yes, sensei.” she nodded _‘The least I can do, seeing as it’s my fault he’s feeling like that in the first place...’_

* * *

_‘I’m so sorry…’_ she whimpered slightly 

“Uhm…why are you apologising?” 

“Did I say that out loud?” 

“Yeah…” he nodded. 

“I see.” she murmured before smiling nervously “Don’t worry about it…I was, uh, talking to myself.” 

“Uh…ok.” he gave her a weird look. 

“I should be getting back to class now.” she said as she got up. “Please get some rest, ok?” 

“Yes, _mother_.” he sighed and flopped down on the bed. 

Bianca walked back to class deep in though, but snapped out of her stupor when the bell rang. She nearly reached to music class when Shizuka called her 

“Bianca-chan! I brought y-your bag, since the b-bell rang.” she smiled as she handed Bianca’s bag over. 

“Thanks. You’re the best.” Bianca beamed 

“How i-is Okumura-kun?” Shizuka asked. 

“He’s ok.” Bianca answered “The nurse said he just needs some sleep.” 

“T-that’s a relief.” Shizuka sighed. “Oh, I’m r-running late. I’ll be s-seeing you later?” 

“Yeah. See you.” Bianca greeted as she watched the girl hurry off. 

“What happened to Nii-san?” she stiffened as she heard Yukio behind her. 

“He’s said he’s feeling sick, so Minami-sensei asked me to take him to the nurse’s office.” she answered. 

“ _Valerio_.” he challenged “What are you hiding?” 

“Can’t lie to you, eh?” she lowered her head. “Uh, can we discuss this...somewhere more discreet?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayako (彩子) "Colour" and "Child"  
> Minami (南) “South”
> 
> * * *
> 
> (1)  
> There some honorifics that are used when referring to people when they are in the same school or working environment as their siblings (especially twins), since it makes it clear to which sibling you are referring to. These include:  
> * -otōto (弟) for younger brothers  
> * -aniki (兄貴) for elder brothers  
> * -imōto (妹) for younger sisters  
> * -aneki (姉貴) for elder sisters  
> So in this case Rin is referred to as Okumura-aniki, while Yukio is called Okumura-otōto by most of the normal True Cross students. Bianca refers to Yukio as both Okumura-sensei and Okumura-otōto depending on the situation. 
> 
> (2) I actually got this idea from my vocal coach. He has my fellow students and I perform for each other a few times a year. It’s a lot of fun, so much, that one student’s wife started joining in with her violin :D


	9. Little brothers are SCARY.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Last Time:**
> 
>  
> 
> _“What happened to Nii-san?” she stiffened as she heard Yukio behind her._
> 
> _“He’s said he’s feeling sick, so Minami-sensei asked me to take him to the nurse’s office.” she answered._
> 
> _“Valerio.” he challenged “What are you hiding?”_
> 
> _“Can’t lie to you, eh?” she whispered as she lowered her head. “Uh, can we discuss this somewhere more discreet?”_

Bianca followed behind Yukio as he opened a nearby door with a magic key, which led to what looked like an old looking cafeteria room. 

“Uhm…may I ask where we are?” she asked, in an attempt to lighten the aura of impending doom. 

“The old boys dorm.” 

“Old boy’s dorm…” she realized “You mean the dorm you and Rin share?” 

“Yes.” he nodded. 

She was suddenly aware of a small presence close by. Just then she noticed a small red demon peeking around the corner. It was wearing a small apron, and stared at her with curiosity, but kept it’s distance. Yukio noticed her attention focused on the kitchen door and followed her gaze. 

“Oh, that is Ukobach, a stove spirit.” he introduced “Ukobach, this is Bianca Valerio.” 

“Hey.” she waved. The little red demon gave her a strange look before, moving towards Yukio, making a few gestures and pointing towards something in the direction of the kitchen. 

“Oh, yes, tea would be nice.” he smiled and Ukobach hurried back to the kitchen, soon returning with a pot of herbal tea and two cups on a tray. 

“Ah, thank you.” Bianca smiled at him as he poured the two them some tea. She took a sip and squealed “Wow! This is amazing!” 

Ukobach gave her a bow before returning to the kitchen. 

“All right, start talking.” Yukio’s sudden change of tone almost made her choke on a mouthful of tea. 

“Uhm…well….” she started nervously after swallowing “Where do I begin?” 

“Well, we can start with _what_ you are.” 

“Eh?” she was quite speechless at this point. 

“You’re definitely not normal.” he explained. 

“Pretty observant, aren’t you?” she smiled slightly, after she managed to regain some composure. 

“So?” he pressed. 

“Well…I have magic powers...” she tried to say casually, but ended up pretty stupid sounding. 

“Stop joking around!” Yukio glared at her. 

“I’m not!” she pouted. 

His glare increased his glare increased, which she didn’t think was even possible anymore. 

“Fine then! I’ll show you!” she held up her hand and formed a glowing sphere in her palm. “There!” she pointed at the sphere “See? Magic!”

“Ok then…” he frowned “I believe you.” 

“Good.” she smiled. 

“So…what are you doing with my brother?” 

“Why do you keep thinking I’ll hurt him?!” she was starting to get annoyed. “It’s not like he chose his inheritance you know.” 

"So you do know..." Yukio observed 

"Yeah..." 

Yukio didn’t seem very convinced. 

“Look…in my world there are many forms of magic.” she explained “Most people have an element attached. Some are better with natural elements: like fire or water, while other’s have power over things like emotions, or even technology.” 

“Then all magic can be used in either a light or dark nature. Some choose to use either light or dark magic, while others prefer to keep their magic neutral. But of course people who use light magic are not necessarily good, and while the dark users do tend to be a bit more mischievous than others, that doesn’t mean they’re evil. In fact there have been dark witches and wizard who became famous heroes. One such witch is now the headmistress of a witch academy.” 

“I see…” he sighed “So what kind of magic do you use?” 

“Sound and music.” she answered “I study light natured magic at the Malacoy Paladin Academy.” 

“Paladin?” he frowned “As in the historical, holy worriors?” 

“More or less.” 

Yukio’s glasses suddenly reflected the light in an ominous way. 

“Can you please cut that out?” she held her hands up. “I told you I wouldn’t hurt him!” 

“You already did, didn’t you?” Yukio glared at her “That’s why he’s in the infirmary?” 

“I didn’t have a choice…” she lowered her head “Mephisto ordered me to make sure to stop Rin if he started doing weird thin-“ 

“What?!” Yukio looked startled. “What happened?” 

“H-he…well. Have you ever noticed how well he draws people in when he plays music?” 

“Don’t change the subject.” he warned. 

“I’m not changing it.” she deadpanned “Just answer the damn question, ok?” 

“Isn’t that just one of his strong points? Like his cooking?” 

“I thought so too, until today. During music class he found a lyre, and it was quite obvious that he’d never even seen one up until now, never mind play it. He then managed to figure out how to play an instrument that usually takes at least a month to play at least some simple songs on. Just like that. And then…” she trailed off a bit. 

“What happened?” Yukio seemed pretty concerned now “Valerio-san?” 

“…he just suddenly zoned out while he was playing, and the next then I knew, half the class, including Ms Manami was hypnotised.…” she frowned. 

“What?!” Yukio went pale. 

“He didn’t seem to be in control of his actions, and he put up quite a bit of resistance when I tried to take the lyre from him, so I ended up having to use my magic on him.” 

“I see…” 

“I only zapped him lightly, so he should be fine by tomorrow…I hope…” 

Yukio sighed and they finished their tea in silence. 

* * *

**Malacoy Paladin Academy – Girls’ Dorm:**

“What are the teachers doing?” Amanda hissed “It’s been a month and we still haven’t heard anything about Bianca.” 

“They can’t find her magic presence or pick up her phone signal.” Clara reminded her. “They’re doing everything they can.” 

“Well, we know where she is.” Amanda insisted “We’ll just go get her ourselves.” 

“We can’t just go to Earth like that.” Clara argued. 

“Of course we-“ 

“We have a vague idea, but it’s not that simple.” Clara sighed. 

“What are you saying?” Amanda asked in shock “Look, unlike you, I’m not going to give up on her!” 

“That’s not what I mean.” Clara shook her head “I just want you to stop for a moment, and think things through properly first. While your instincts are usually pretty good, you have a tendency to get carried away and can be a bit too rash sometimes.” 

Amanda went quiet, knowing that Clara had a point. She sat down on her bed and took a deep breath before speaking. 

“Do you have anything in mind?” 

“Actually, I've studied up on Earth a bit.” Clara admitted “Just going to Earth won’t help the situation.” 

“What do you mean?” Amanda frowned. 

“Well, first of all, the planet is larger than the average planet in the magical universe.” she started “And similarly to how we are split up into different realms and kingdoms, the entire planet is spit into regions called ‘countries’.” 

“Many of them are ruled in what they refer to as ‘democracy’, where the people vote for someone to lead. It’s quite rare to be ruled by a king or queen, but a small handful of the countries do have them.” 

“Most of these countries, especially those who have been affected by war, are very wary of outsiders, and can make it quite difficult to move between the different countries. And then there’s the fact that the planets surface only has 30% land. Without proper magic, it could take years, or even decades to do a proper search of the planet.” 

“Are you telling me it’s useless?” Amanda asked, her eyes beginning to tear up. 

“No. I’m saying is that we need to be very sure before acting.” Clara warned “And to be prepared for anything.” 

“I understand.” Amanda answered dejectedly before realising what Clara had just said “Wait… _we?_ ” 

“What, did you think I’ll let you run off to Earth on your own?” 


	10. A new mission!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Last Time:**  
>  _“Are you telling me it’s useless?” Amanda asked, her eyes beginning to tear up._
> 
> _“No. I’m saying is that we need to be very sure before acting.” Clara warned “And to be prepared for anything.”_
> 
> _“I understand.” Amanda answered dejectedly before realising what Clara had just said “Wait…we?”_
> 
> _“What, did you think I’ll let you run off to Earth on your own?”_

“So how’d you guys do for you first mission?” Rin asked, seated on the top step of the statue of Mephisto Pheles. 

The three male students, seated at the lower step, all gave small sneers as they recalled the _‘missions’_ they were given. 

“I had to clean the leaper’s cage.” Konekomaru shuddered. 

“I had to take a sample of Bariyoshi to Tamagawa.” Ryūji answered indifferently. 

“I had to carry supplies to Yamakou.” Renzō snorted “They weren’t missions, they were just random odd jobs.” 

“We’ve only recently been promoted to exwires.” Ryūji sighed “It’s just natural that we get the slave work.” 

“I’m one step ahead of you guys.” Rin smirked “I got to fight a demon, and even made it my familiar!” 

“Yeah, right.” Ryūji snorted “If you have, then why don’t you summon it.” 

“I left him at the dorm.” Rin responded nervously. 

“Huh, you _left_ it there?” Ryūji asked skeptically. 

“Oi, I’m tell-” 

“He’s not lying, you know.” Bianca interjected, as she walked up to them “He really has a familiar now.” 

“What? For real” Ryūji was stunned “What kind of demon is it?” 

“A sith cat.” she beamed “And he’s so adorable!” 

“I see…” Ryūji murmured before frowning “On another note, I still can’t believe those two became exwires.” he grumbled as he glared at the two boys a few paces away. 

“Oh, Valerio-san, what did you get?” Konekomaru asked, hoping to lighten the mood slightly. 

“Me? I had to help the principal with some stupid random stuff.” she huffed. 

“Like?” 

“Taking his stupid dog for a walk.” she answered sourly. **[1]**

“Uh, you don’t mean _that_ dog do you?” Rin gave her a weird questioning look. 

The look on her face confirmed his suspicions, and he bust out laughing. 

“Rin, it’s not funny!!” she glared at him, and he shut his mouth. 

“Uhm, what are you talking about?” Ryūji aksed, looking quite confused. 

Bianca and Rin shared a questioning look for a second. 

“Uh, well…” Bianca started nervously “The principal has this really annoying… _familiar_. It takes that takes the shape of a white schnauzer, and usually wears a pink ribbon.” 

“The one we always see on campus?” Konekomaru asked “I was wondering why it had an exorcist pin.” 

“Yeah…” Bianca huffed. 

“Wait a minute…didn’t we se that dog with Okumura during the first lesson?” Renzō asked, looking at Rin. 

“Uh...he…uh…sent it to guide me to cram school…since I got lost...” Rin answered nervously. 

“Uh, yeah, the principal tends to send it in order to send exorcist related messages or escort new students to cram school without arousing too much suspicion from the normal students.” 

“Sorry for being late!” a familiar voice called. 

They all looked up, and were shocked to find that Shiemi was dressed in a True Cross school uniform, instead of her normal kimono. There was a few moments of silence as the got over the fact that the little girl they had come to know in class was a true beauty. Rin was the first person who managed to say something. 

“Shi-shiemi? What on earth…” he blurted “Your kimono?” 

“It’s not really suitable for missions…so the principal issued me a uniform.” she started nervously “I didn’t really know how to put it on, so Kamiki-san and Paku-chan helped. That’s why we’re late.” 

Izumo just gave a silent huff, making it quite obvious that she wanted nothing to do with the blonde beside her. 

“It looks weird, doesn’t it?” Shiemi concluded as everyone else were still speechless. 

“What are you saying?!” Bianca asked, shocked “You are so adorable!” 

“Yeah, you look super cute.” Renzō added. 

Ryūji, for once, didn’t hit the pink over the head for his comment, and to his classmates surprise gave her a little smile as well. 

“Ah…thank you.” she blushed. 

Bianca noticed Rin whispering something to Yukio, only to get wacked in the face. 

“THAT HURT!!!” he yelped “Damn four-eyes!” 

Yukio seemed unfazed with his twin’s actions and addressed the students nonchalantly. 

“All right then.Now that we are all here…” he started and paged through his file “You’ll be divided into groups of three… **[2]** ” he paged through the file 

“…Miwa, Takara and Shima…” 

Renzō looked like he was about to cry when he found that there were no girls in his team. 

“…Suguro, Yamada and Kamiki...” 

Ryūji looked pretty peeved muttering something about people not dragging their weight and girls being abnormally rude, while Izumo looked even more pissed of than she usually did. 

“…Okumura, Moriyama and Valerio.” 

“Ah, were all together” Shiemi squealed in delight as she grabbed Rin and Bianca’s hands. Rin looked a bit flushed at this, but managed to keep composure. 

“Today we are at the True Cross Academy Amusement Park, which is commonly known as ‘Mephy Land’,” Yukio explained “There had been numerous damage reports and sightings of a ghost recently. In this case, all exwires have been recruited in order to find it.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] I could not resist, ok? xDDD  
> I got the idea from a really humorous and absolutely fabulous piece of work on deviantART, called [The Duties of a Paladin](http://probablyimpossible.deviantart.com/art/The-Duties-of-a-Paladin-418166622)
> 
> [2] Yes, I know that they’re in pairs in the manga/anime, but there they’re an even amount of students. I wanted to keep the teams as even as possible and with Bianca included they are a total of 9, making teams of three more logical. This means I had to break the original teams slightly…but hey, this is fanfiction after all ^^
> 
> * * *
> 
> Also this is the last of the chapters that I've already uploaded on Fanfiction, so the next one might take a while.


	11. Mephisto’s amusement parks are creepy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Last Time:**   
>  _“Today we are at the True Cross Academy Amusement Park, which is commonly known as ‘Mephy Land’,” Yukio explained “There had been numerous damage reports and sightings of a ghost recently. In this case, all exwires have been recruited in order to find it.”_

“Ano…what’s with her?” Bianca pointed at Shiemi, who looked like she was about to burst. 

“Uh…d-don’t know …” Rin shrugged “She’s been like that since we started the mission.” 

“Hey, Sheimi, what’s wrong?” Bianca asked

“I’ll look like a grinning fool if I don’t do this.” Shiemi mumbled 

“Uh…I’m confused…” 

“Truthfully, I’ve always wanted to come to an amusement park,” she explained “and as a kid, I spent almost all my time indoors. I couldn’t really cope around a lot of people, so never went to school or parks like other kids.” 

“Oh, I see.” Bianca nodded 

“Next time I’ll come here to have fun.” Shiemi proclaimed with a determined spark in her eyes. 

“I’ll come with you then.” Rin said, a serious look on his face. 

“Yeah!” Shiemi beamed, causing a blush to appear on Rin’s face. 

“R-r-really?” Rin stuttered “Y-you sure?!” 

“Yep!” Shiemi nodded and Rin’s face turned one shade brighter. 

_‘He likes her…’_ Bianca realised. _‘And from what I know of his past, it’s probably his first crush too, but she doesn’t look like she feels the same way…’_

“And Bianca-chan too, right-.” Shiemi frowned as she noticed the other girl’s seemingly blank expression “Bianca-chan?” 

“Sure.” Bianca nodded smiling “As long as Rin makes a lunchbox for us!” 

“Eh?” 

“Oh yeah, you’ve never tasted his cooking before” Bianca remembered. 

“Rin’s good at cooking?” Shiemi asked in awe. 

“Good is an understatement.” Bianca winked. 

The slightly echoed sound of a child’s crying suddenly pierced the air. 

“A voice?” the girls exclaimed in unison. 

“This way!” Rin shouted, and started running in one direction. 

“Ah, wait a sec!” Bianca yelled after him before she and Shiemi ran after him. 

When the girls managed to catch up to him, they realised that he had found the ghost they were looking for on the merry-go-round. 

“Oh, how’d you know where he was?” Shiemi asked, curiosity evident in her voice. 

“Uh…just a hunch?” he grinned nervously. 

The ghost had the form of little boy, and tears were streaming down his chubby cheeks. 

“Hey, what’s the matter?” Shiemi asked him “Why are you crying?” 

“Oi, don’t just randomly talk to demons!” Rin chastised. 

Bianca had to resist the urge to snort when she thought about the irony of his words. 

“Oi, you!” Rin glared at the boy “How long are you going to be sulk like that?!” 

The boy started crying even more, causing Shiemi to glare at him 

“Rin!” she shouted “Now you upset him!” 

“Uh…sorry…” 

The little ghostly boy jumped towards Shiemi, giving her a crushing hug. 

“I’ve been sick for a long time…” he sobbed “Mommy and Daddy promised that we’ll go to the amusement park when I’m better…but I died…” he started wiping his tears away with his fist “Now I can’t play anymore!” 

“I see…” Shiemi murmered, looking like she was fighting back her own tears “You must have been really lonely.” 

“Shut up you old hag!” the boy suddenly shrieked with a grazed grin, grabbing Shiemi’s chest “Gyahahaha! You idiot~” 

Shiemi yelped in embarrassment as the young ghost flew of laughing like a madman. 

“WHAT THE HELL, YOU LITTLE BRAT?!” Rin snapped, running after him. “HEY, WAIT YOU LITTLE…!!” 

Bianca sighed as she watched Rin stomp off looking ready to explode before turning back to a red-faced Shiemi. 

“Are you all right?” 

“Y-yeah.” Shiemi blushed “He…just…statled me a bit…” 

“I see.” Bianca said, relieved that the petite girl wasn’t traumatised “We should find Rin before we get split up.” 

“Let’s go, then.” Shiemi nodded. 

They found Rin pacing at a nearby statue of Mephisto. 

_‘Narcissism much?’_ Bianca thought flatly as she eyed it. 

“WHERE THE HECK DID THAT LITTLE PERV GO?!” 

“I’ll look over on that side, ‘kay?” Shiemi offered before skipping off to the side. 

“Mkay!” Bianca replied. 

“Ah!” Shiemi exclaimed “There he is!” 

“Let’s go then!” Bianca called and followed Shiemi. 

“Tch! Watever, I’m not chasing that brat.” he glowered as he took his phone out “I’ll just let Yukio handle the little demon.” 

* * *

Bianca and Shiemi were right on the ghost’s tail. 

“Ne, Bianca-chan?” Shiemi asked as they ran “Do you think he’s evil?” 

“No, I don’t believe all demons are truly evil.” Bianca shook her head “I believe that there are some who are actually trying to be good. And some of them who are just confused and unsure about what they’re actually supposed to be doing in life.” 

“Yeah.” Shiemi agreed. 

Bianca stopped in her tracks when she felt a sudden dark energy flare up 

_‘This energy…’_ she turned back in shock 

“Bianca-chan?” Shiemi asked, sounding worried “Is something wrong?” 

“I just need to check something with Rin real quick.” Bianca told Shiemi “I’ll be right back, so keep an eye on the target, okay?” 

“Okay, then.” Shiemi nodded “See you in a bit.” 

_‘This is definitely Rin’s power.’_ ’ she gulped _‘Something must have gone wrong.’_

There was a loud crash from the roller coaster, and Rin went’s flying through the air. 

“Rin!” 

The impact made a flurry of dust appear, and she barely managed to make out two figures. One was definitely Rin, wrapped up in bright blue flames, and the other… 

This demon sent chills straight through her. She was about to ready an attack when she noticed Rin’s aura become even darker. 

_‘No...’_ she realised, and bit her lip in frustration _‘I’ll just ruin any chance he has against this demon if I step in now.’_

“Can’t catch me!” the young ghost’s chime could be heard. 

_‘Dammit!’_ she thought _‘At this rate Shiemi will be caught up right in the middle of everything!’_

She quicky ran back, managing to cut of the ghost’s path just in time. 

_‘Rin will have more of a chance without any bystanders to worry about.’_ she thought to herself _‘And of course there’s his heritage that needs to stay a secret.’_

“Shiemi-chan!” she called “He went this way!” 

“Oh, Bianca-chan!” Shiemi called as she approached “I think I figured it out!” 

“Figured it out?” 

“I think he’s just playing.” Shiemi answered. 

“Playing?” 

“Remember? He was sick and could never go outside.” 

“I see.” Bianca realised “Almost like you.” 

_‘Please be okay, Rin!’_ she thought as she took off after the young ghost once more. 

The boy seemed to increase his speed now, giggling all the while. 

“He’s…too…fast.” Shiemi panted. 

“I’ll see if I can cut him off, then.” 

“Hm’kay!” Shiemi nodded 

The two girls split up, and he turned tail as he saw Bianca, only to crash into Shiemi’s arms. 

“Got him!” Shiemi exclaimed in victory. 

They were just starting to catch their breaths when there was another explosion, sending debris everywhere. 

Bianca grabbed onto Shiemi and the ghost, pulling them both to safety. 

“You okay?!” Bianca asked 

“Yeah…” Shiemi breathed a sigh of relief “Thanks.” 

A series crashing sounds were heard as the roller coaster started falling apart 

“Ah, Nii-chan, help us!” Shiemi yelped as she held the ghost boy tightly, and Nii created a branch barrier around them. Bianca quickly ducked in under, making an additional magic barrier over Shiemi’s. 

The dual barriers seemed to hold, but Bianca knew it wouldn’t last long. She was frantically thinking of ways to get both of them out before it was too late when a brilliant blue fire blasted everything away. 

_‘That was way too close for comfort.’_ Bianca shuddered, and sank to her knees. 

“WOW!” the ghost exclaimed “That was so cool!” 

“This isn’t a laughing matter!” Shiemi scolded him “We could’ve died!” 

“I’m already dead, stupid!” he pulled a face at her. 

“Oh.” 

“Hey, you!” Bianca glared at him “What the hell were you thinking, huh?!” 

“Well, I’ve never had the chance to play outside in my life,” he grinned “So thank you, it was really fun to hang out with you two onē-sans.” 

“Ah…” Shimi exclaimed as the boy faded away. 

* * *

_‘It seems everything is over now…’_ Bianca thought as they found him looking more or less al right. Yamada was there, observing the damage done _‘Wait, did he see Rin’s flames?’_

“Rin!!” Shiemi exclaimed , reaching out to him “Are you all right?” 

“Don’t touch me!” he yelled, startling Shiemi. 

“Wha-what’s wrong?” she asked. 

“Ah…uh…” he looked down “It’s nothing…Anyhow what happened to that kid?” 

“He disappeared.” she smiled “He said thanks for playing a game with him.” 

“I see.” 

Yukio and Tsubaki came running, both looking frantic. 

“Yer a slowpoke, Yukio!” Yamada said, handing Rin’s sword to him “I had to do and make a move, ‘cause of that.” 

“No…way…” Yukio was startled. 

“Well, whatever…I’m sick of this getup…” after removing the hoody Yamada was revealed to be a female adult. “I’m Shura Kirigakure, an Upper First Class Exorcist.” 

_‘Wait…just how the heck did she hide that sort of cleavage under a hoody?!’_ Bianca wondered as she stared at Shura **[1]**

“I’m here to investigate a _‘Risk Factor’_ in the Japanese branch for Headquarters.” she explained “I’m a Senior Inspector.” 

“Inspector?” Bianca asked, fearing the worst and looked Rin in worry. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1]  
> That, dear Bianca, is one of the great mysteries of the universe, and we shall never have a proper answer :P
> 
>  
> 
> Looks like I managed to finish this chapter way quicker than I thought it would take...


	12. Worry wait

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Last time:**  
>  _“I’m here to investigate a ‘Risk Factor’ in the Japanese branch for Headquarters.” she explained “I’m a Senior Inspector.”_  
>  “Inspector?” Bianca asked, fearing the worst and looked Rin in worry.

Bianca could barely sleep that night. She kept wondering whether Rin was alright, or even still alive at that point.

Her anxiety increased when she noticed that he was absent from school the next morning. Yukio was also nowhere to be found.

During recess she made her way to a secluded part of the school courtyard and sat down on one of the benches.

This garden would usually make her feel at home, with the butterflies and flowers reminding her of the Magical Dimension somewhat. However, today she felt colder than ever, despite the warm summer weather.

Everything felt so empty now that Rin wasn’t there.

She was so immersed in her thoughts that she failed to notice someone sitting down next to her

“Valerio-san?”

Ryūji had a look of concern on his face as he studied her features.

“What’s the matter?” he asked

“I-its’ nothing…” she mumbled.

“Bull.” he deadpanned “I’m guessing it’s about Okumura. I still don’t know what you see in him.”

“Wha-whaaaat?!” she turned bright red before glaring at him “For your information, we’re just friends.”

“He brings you lunch every single day.”

“Because I totally suck at cooking, and can’t afford the cafeteria food.” she countered “Tell me, would you ever let Shima-san and Miwa-kun starve to death?”

“Okay, okay…point taken.” he sighed “So want to talk about it?”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“It can’t be that bad.”

“It is.” she looked away and bit her lip. As much as she needed to get it out of her system, there was no way she’d blab out Rin’s secret to someone like Ryūji Suguro. “Just drop it, okay?”

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she was pulled into an embrace.

“Suguro, _what the hell_ do you think you’re doing?” she hissed as she tried to push him away.

“Hugs are good for you.” he answered “And it looks like you really need one right now.”

She slumped against him, feeling utterly defeated. He was right…she _really did_ needed a hug. They sat in a slight awkward silence for a few minutes after that.

“This did _not_ happen, okay?” she stated matter-of-factly as she got up stiffly

“Agreed.” he nodded.

She stood in place for a while longer, watching the butterflies flutter about the flowerbeds.

“Suguro?” she asked softly, sounding much more relaxed than she did before.

“Yeah?”

“Uh…thanks.” she turned as she gave him a small smile. “I guess I did really need that.” **[1]**

* * *

When she made it to cram school that afternoon, she was surprised to find that everyone excluding Rin already seated at their desks.

“Hey Shiemi-chan.” she greeted as she made her way to her own.

“Bianca-chan.”

“Did you hear anything about yesterday?”

“Not a word.” Shiemi answered “Did Rin say anything?”

“Rin wasn’t at school today.” Bianca told her “Neither was Yukio-san.”

“What?” Shiemi seemed concerned “That sounds pretty bad.”

Before Bianca could comment, the door opened to reveal the same scantily dressed woman they met in the amusement park the day before. She walked to the front and plopped herself down on the desk.

 ‘ _Eh?!_ ’ Bianca thought, totally caught off guard _‘What the HECK is she doing here?’_

“Bianca-chan?” Shiemi leaned back as she whispered to Bianca “She’s the lady who took Rin away yesterday, isn’t she?”

“That’s her alright.” Bianca nodded, frowning. “I wonder where Rin is, though.”

“Maybe he’s just late again?”

“I hope so.”

The next 10 minutes or so was spent with Shura explaining that she’d replace Neuhaus as a teacher. Bianca had to resist the urge to giggle when Izumo practically threw a fit about Shura’s obvious (and very badly) made-up-on-the-spot excuse to where the previous teacher had gone.

Just then the door squeaked open, and Bianca almost started crying tears of joy.

There was her best friend, panting like he just ran a marathon.

‘ _Rin…_ ’ she let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding in relief ‘ _Thank goodness._ ’

“S-sorry….I fell asleep on the roof, and no-one bothered to come wake me up even after home-room started…” he paused as he noted the identity of the woman sitting on the teacher’s desk “Y-you?!

“Yo.”

* * *

 “You didn’t report him?” Bianca asked “Didn’t you say that you were inspecting for the Vatican?”

“You know?” Shura asked, slightly caught off guard before she seemed to recall something “You’re Bianca Valerio, right?”

Bianca nodded, still appearing on edge

“Yukio mentioned that you were keeping an eye on Rin.”

“More or less.” Bianca answered, a bit more relaxed.

“So you’re not afraid of him?” Shura quirked an eybrow.

“If there’s anything I fear, it’s him dying via stupidity.” she stated and Shura burst out with laughter.

“Yeah, he does seem a bit dense.” she chuckled “But he’s definitely determined. Yelled about how he’ll become the Paladin and defeat Satan even after I beat him to a pulp.”

“That’s him, alright.” Bianca smiled

“The four-eyes also mentioned some real interesting things about you.”

“Like?”

“He didn’t say much.” Shura admitted “Just that you had some abilities that could be useful to subdue demons.”

“I see.”

“I’m curious about these ‘abilities’ though.” Shura murmured “You seem quite human.”

“I am...for the most part.” Bianca answered “Have you ever heard of something called the Magical Dimension?”

“Magical Dimension?” Shura quirked an eyebrow “I think so...it’s mentioned in some of the ancient exorcist writings. Are you from there or something?”

“Exactly.”

Shura whistled, sounding fairly amused.

“So you’re a magical being, then.” she smirked slightly  “So what brings you all the way here?”

“I’m stuck here until I find a way home.” Bianca answered.

“I see.” Shura said pointedly “So you don’t seem to be afraid of that boy?”

 “It’s not like he _chose_ to be what he is.” she added “Judging someone because of what his sadistic, twisted father did before his birth is completely ridiculous.”

Shura gave her a long stare before smiling.

“So what do you plan on doing now?” Bianca asked.

“I’m going to obey the absurd instructions Shirō gave me.”

“Shirō?” she asked “As in the priest who raised Rin and Yukio and the previous Paladin, Shirō Fujimoto?”

“Yeah…” she nodded “I was once his apprentice.”

“Whoah…”Bianca said in awe. “So what did he want you to do?”

“Shortly after Rin was born, Shirō had asked me to teach him the art of sword fighting, telling me that he was leaving the Kurikara to him.”

“He did?”

“Yup.”

* * *

**Malacoy Paladin Academy – Girls’ Dorm:**

“So, any luck yet?” Clara asked

“I think so.” Erica nodded “Another reading pointed out that she’s in a familiar setting.”

“Familiar setting?”

“I think she’s somewhere that’s very similar to Melody.”

“Wait a second....” Clara smiled “On Earth, there is a culture almost identical to Melody’s.”

“There is?” Amanda asked, now smiling slightly as Clara grabbed her laptop.

They both watched as she opened files, which included some pictures, videos and maps

“Yeah.” Clara answered as she pointed at one of the maps “It’s called ‘Asian’ over there, and found mostly in this region of Earth.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **[1] Hmm…they’d actually make a very cute couple. Maybe...**  
>  **What do you guys think?**  
>   
>   
>  Virtual hugs for everyone!!! Oh, and a fun fact about hugs, just ‘cause :)  
> It has been scientifically proven that hugs don’t only affect psychology and emotion, but also physical growth and the immune system.  
>   
> “We need 4 hugs a day for survival. We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth.”  
> \- Virginia Satir


	13. A/N SO SOME STUFF HAPPENED

Soo...yeah...

I'm afraid I have some bad news.

I had at least two chapters almost done when my laptop decided to have a breakdown and everything went FUBAR. I couldn't do much other than reformatting it entirely.

Unfortunately that means I lost all of the documents and files I had on the laptop.

Yeah. All my in progress chapters, chapter notes and everything gone *cries in corner*.

Fortunately my laptop is now working as it's supposed to, so I'll be able to write again soon. And hopefully this time I won't take another century and a half to put another chapter up.


End file.
